By Michelle ’28
Finally, you’ve made it to the end of the year! At school, students work hard every day to become better students and people, while striving for academic success as well. Although it is rewarding and Harvard Westlake provides amazing opportunities to learn and explore your interests, it can be tiring. Students juggle sports, classes, extracurriculars, social life, and personal life all year long and by the time school comes to an end for the year and summer is starting, it’s exciting! The stress of finals are over and all that lays ahead is a summer filled with relaxation and adventure. Class trips are a wonderful way to cap off the year on a happy note by creating memories that students will look back on for many years to come. For me, the class trip is my favorite part of the year as it not only marks the start of summer but I also love theme parks, especially with my best friends.
In 8th grade, students head off to Six Flags Magic Mountain, a park filled with 18 thrilling roller coasters and 60 other non-roller coaster rides. Some of my favorites include, Goliath, with a 250 foot drop, as well as Tatsu, a ride where you feel like you’re flying through the mountains near Valencia, and Crazanity, where you swing almost 360 degrees in the air! The great thing about Six Flags is that it doesn’t have the wait times that Disney does but you still get to experience amazingly designed roller coasters and rides with some of the theme park charm.
After a brief assembly at the middle school campus to wrap up the year as a school, students head onto buses to make the fairly short 1 hour ride to Magic Mountain. Everyone is buzzing with excitement for an amazing day ahead, whether or not they are a roller coaster lover or not. Students spend almost all day there riding coasters, eating food from Johnny Rockets, and playing arcade games. After multiple hours at the park, students head back onto the buses to return home, although this ride is much more mellow as some people are asleep.
Here are some pro-tips to remember for this trip:
- Wear comfortable shoes that you can walk a lot in because you will be walking anywhere from 12,000-17,000 steps that day!
- Make sure to give yourself time to digest your lunch before riding any large roller coasters as it can make you nauseous and ruin the rest of your day.
- Wear light clothes such as shorts or thin pants as it can get pretty hot there as the day goes on. Also remember to bring sunscreen, sunglasses and maybe a hat to protect yourself from the sun’s rays.
- Go in a group with people who are at the same level as you on your willingness to ride roller coasters to ensure you get to ride what you’re comfortable with and you won’t be left out. Some of the Six Flags coasters are pretty large so maybe take a look beforehand to figure out what you want to do.
All in all, Six Flags is such a wonderful way to close out 8th grade and you are guaranteed to have a fun day with your friends! This trip is such a great way to connect more with your friends and take the time to relish in the fact that you finished a year full of hard work and dedication!
